Animal and poultry feed, generally known as compound feed, are feedstuffs that are blended from various raw materials and additives. Compound feeds can be prepared as complete feeds that provide all the daily required nutrients, as concentrates that provide a part of the ration (protein, energy), or as supplements that provide additional micro-nutrients such as minerals and vitamins. A main ingredient used in commercially prepared feed is feed grains such as, for example, corn, soybeans, sorghum, oats, barley, and combinations thereof.
An important industry within the animal feed industry further includes the sale and manufacture of premixes. Premixes can be composed of micro-ingredients for blending into commercial or individually-produced rations to produce animal feed. Micro-ingredients can include nutrients, vitamins, minerals, chemical preservatives, antibiotics, fermentation products, and other essential ingredients.
A source of phosphorous and calcium is commonly added to animal feed as a micro-ingredient. One example of such ingredient that can be used in animal feed is Biofos®. Biofos® is a feed-grade monocalcium phosphate that is produced by reacting calcium carbonate and wet process defluorinated phosphoric acid. Biofos® is a source of highly available phosphorous (P) and calcium (Ca) with a narrow calcium-to-phosphate ratio, such that it helps meet animal and poultry requirements for these essential nutrients. For example, Biofos® guarantees minimum 21% phosphorous content which allows for flexibility and economy in formulations. Biofos® also provides ease of handling and uniform dispersion in mixed feeds and minerals.
Another example micro-ingredient used as a source for phosphorous and calcium in animal feed is Multifos®. Multifos® is a feed-grade tricalcium/defluorinated phosphate, which is derived from phosphate rock in a carefully controlled thermochemical process that enhances biological availability, drives off fluorine, and physically conditions the product for feed mixing. Like Biofos®, Multifos® is a source of highly available phosphorous (P) and calcium (Ca), as well as sodium (Na) that will help provide animal and poultry requirements for these nutrients. For example, Multifos® guarantees minimum 18% phosphorous content which again allows flexibility in feed formulation.
Feed blends are formulated according to specific requirements of a target animal. Feed manufactures or compounders prepare the blends by buying the commodities and blending them in a feed mill according to specifications provided by a nutritionist, for example. The blends can be manufactured by feed compounders as meal type, pellets, or crumbles.
One type of feed mill found in the industry for producing feed blends is a pellet mill, which blends a mixture of dry powdered feedstock, such as, for example, flour or grass, a wet ingredient, such as steam or molasses, and any other ingredients, such as micro-ingredients. The dry feedstock, wet ingredient, and any other ingredients are combined to form a mash or meal. The mash or meal is then compacted into an interior of a round die that contains many small holes. The mash or meal is compacted within the die thereby forcing it out of the holes in the form of pellets.
Feed mill or pellet mill performance, such as throughput and efficiency, is of great importance to feed manufacturers and can be impacted by a number of variables including the characteristics of the feed ingredients. Good die performance is essential for enhancing throughput, decreasing energy consumption, and increasing efficiency. However, product buildup can reduce the performance of the die and can sometimes require a separate die-cleaning step. This cleaning step can be time consuming, requiring disassembly and reassembly of the die in addition to cleaning of the die. Further, the die may need to be replaced frequently, which can add manufacturing expense to the pelleting process.
Certain commercially available ingredients exhibit attributes that provide enhanced pelleting benefits, such as reduced product buildup, for improved throughput and efficiency. For example, Multifos® provides enhanced non-P benefits over Biofos® and other competing mineral supplements, such as enhanced throughput, die wear reduction, energy efficiencies, and pellet quality which results in reduced costs of purchasing, storing, and handling.
However, even with its pelleting benefits, due to the cost of manufacturing tricalcium phosphate, it is typically more expensive to use tricalcium phosphates such as Multifos® rather than monocalcium phosphates or dicalcium phosphates. Multifos®, as well as other tricalcium phosphates, are currently manufactured using a rotary kiln process, rather than the less expensive granulation process used to make Biofos®. Typical rotary kiln processes tend to have higher operating costs than granulation processes due to higher energy consumption. Additionally, the phosphate rock used in the manufacture of Multifos® is subject to significant fluctuations in price, and is more expensive than the raw materials used to make Biofos®.
For some pellet mill operators, this increased expense outweighs the enhanced benefits in milling operations. Therefore, there remains a need for a phosphate ingredient for animal feed with enhanced milling benefits without significantly increasing manufacturing costs or compromising nutritional benefits.